| 2021 JUNE exciting new event! You can now enter our our enter now can You Out of home magazine — JUNE | 2021 3 Welcome Welcome Published by: H2O Publishing, Media House, 3 Topley Dr, Rochester, ME3 8PZ Tel: 01474 520200 www.oohmagazine.co.uk @OOHmagazine Things are moving so quickly these days that Managing Director Jamie Robbins it appears to be almost compulsory to clarify Divisional Director Rob Molinari what the exact Covid situation is ‘as I type 07850 797 252 [email protected] this’… so, as I type this, the prime minister has Twitter: @RobMolinari Director just confirmed that we are indeed ready to Daniel Hillman 07833 248 788 negotiate the next stage of the roadmap, with [email protected] Twitter: @hillmandan th indoor dining being allowed from 17 May. Director Marc Sumner The vaccine rollout has clearly provided a real shot in the arm for the industry, as there are 07730 217 747 [email protected] incredibly encouraging signs that an army of newly Covid-confident customers are determined to Twitter: @sumner_marc drink and dine. Amazingly, despite the patchy weather, the figures show that hospitality in general Classified Sales Sue Stunt enjoyed 45% higher like-for-like sales than they did in the opening week after the first lockdown 01474 520 243 ended back in July 2020 (see BITES, page 16). Not only that but consumer spend then proceeded [email protected] Editor to improve by an incredible 215% week-on-week. Henry Norman 01474 520 248 With the Bank of England having also recently predicted that the UK economy is set to enjoy its [email protected] Twitter: @HenryHNorman biggest growth for more than 70 years, the signs are clearly there that, thankfully, the hospitality Editorial Director industry is set to join its customers in coming in from the cold. Tristan O’Hana Features Editor Gemma Bradish Contributors Jennifer Campbell, Sarah Welsh and Peter Backman Henry Norman Design Editor Marc Ayres Matt Bailey Miranda Willan Production Hannah Broad Printed by Buxton Press Hospitality enjoyed 45% higher sales than after the The paper used within this publication has been sourced from Chain-of-Custody certified first lockdown manufacturers, operating within international environmental standards to ensure sustainable ended sourcing of the raw materials, sustainable production and to minimise our carbon footprint. Oohmagazine.co.uk | @OOHmagazine 5 Contents June 2021 Contents The big issue 10 Rates and rents Operator profile – Bakery Street Food Championships 18 Greenaway’s Pie and Mash 40 Our exciting new event! News Street food focus Market insight Reader offers 06 All the latest 35 Oowee Vegan 52 Exiting lockdown 55 Win Ferrero goodies! Bites Street food Dates for your diary What’s new 16 High street trends 36 Talk of the town 53 All the upcoming events 56 Products and services The green issue Operator profile – Street food Recipe Opinion 20 Green cuisine 42 Thunderbird Chicken 54 Strawberry cheesecake 58 Peter Backman overnight oats A coffee break with Free from 33 Robbie Lorraine, 44 Free and easy Only Food and Courses @OOHmagazine Oohmagazine.co.uk 6 News The n-Oohs Creating a new shopping experience is behind Leon acquisition Asda will become more of a destination shopping experience with its acquisition of fast food chain Leon, according to tax and advisory company Blick Rothenberg. Daniel Burke, a partner at the firm, I would expect Asda says that the reason why EG Group, the new owner of Asda, has acquired Leon Restaurants for £100m is “to provide a better all-round shopping experience for its customers”. to follow this up with “EG is no stranger to food outlets,” he said. “They own more than 6,000 petrol stations across more acquisitions 10 countries, and have been installing Starbucks, KFC, Burger King, Greggs, Cinnabon and Subway branches at their forecourts.” “Asda and Leon are not two businesses you would expect to come together. Asda is tradi- tionally ‘low cost’, while Leon provides good quality fast food with premium prices. But it is clear that Asda is looking at providing a new customer experience.” He added: “I would expect Asda to follow this up with more acquisitions or partnerships in order to make Asda a ‘go-to’ place for all of your shopping needs. EG appears to be closing in on Caffè Nero after buying up the chain’s debt pile, and has even considered buying Topshop.” Enter our new street food competition! Entries are now open for our brand new cooking competition, which will put the most creative and delicious street food dishes in the spotlight! The Street Food Championships, launched in partnership with our sister magazine Dine Out, will be a one-day cooking extravaganza held in a spacious, well-ventilated marquee to keep everyone safe at London Shenley Club, near Watford, on 30th September 2021. The competition, which is now open to street food chefs from across the out of home market (including street food traders and group or independent restaurants), will see 16 shortlisted finalists cook up their signature dishes, as well as taking on several head-to- head technical challenges. Operators can enter themselves into one of four cuisine rounds: Americana, European, Latin American and Pan-Asian. Four finalists will then be chosen from each cuisine group to compete in the final, where they will be asked to prepare their signature dish; a technical Kerb comes to dish comprising sponsor products; and a Wings Round, sponsored by Frank’s RedHot, which must be used by all the chefs in their creation in this heat. The winning chef will receive £1,000 and the coveted title of Street Food Dish of the Canalside Year. Chefs keen to be crowned the UK’s street food champion should turn to page 40 Skylight has opened a new pop-up collaboration, bringing some of London’s finest street food to for more info. Entries close on 30th July. one of the city’s iconic outdoor spaces. Taking over the Quayside area at Tobacco Dock, Skylight Canalside featuring Kerb represents a unique partnership between the street food pioneer and the rooftop venue. At a time when outdoor drinking and dining is at the forefront of social plans, this new addition to east London’s eating and drinking scene gives Londoners and visitors alike a brand new desti- nation to enjoy over the summer months. Skylight Canalside featuring Kerb is located waterside beneath the two ‘pirate’ sailing ships at Tobacco Dock, encapsulating a beer-garden feel with picnic tables, parasols, atmospheric lighting and bunting. The line-up will see a rotating offering of deliciously mouth-watering street food, with two new Kerb food trucks parking up each month. Fundi Pizza and Tongue ‘N Cheek have taken up residency for every Saturday in May. “At Kerb we are always looking for new and inventive ways to bring street food to the capital and have put together a fantastic line-up for Tobacco Dock featuring everything from indulgent burgers and hotdogs to curries and wood-fired pizza,” said Alana Buckley, managing director of Kerb Events. “We are so excited to get out there and start feeding hungry Londoners again.” Oohmagazine.co.uk | @OOHmagazine 7 News BTC: pandemic has permanently changed eating habits Recent research from the British Takeaway Campaign (BTC) has found the Covid-19 pandemic has permanently changed our eating habits, with 53% of Brits ordering more takeaway during the pandemic and 32% saying they will continue to do so after lockdown eases. Some 31% of consumers also say that they plan to eat out less than they did before. Consumers in London are leading the way, with 47% saying they will continue to order more takeaway. Beyond London, most consumers reflect the national average, with a third of Brits in the south east, west Midlands, north west, north east and Scotland all saying they plan to continue ordering more takeaway. However, in a boost to outlets that are reopening, 29% of consumers say they will eat out more than they did before the pandemic. Some 41% of Londoners say they will eat out more frequently, while consumers in the west Midlands are almost equally keen to visit restaurants again, with 35% saying they will eat out more frequently. Ibrahim Dogus, chair of the BTC, said: “There’s still a long road ahead before the hospitality sector is back to the economic powerhouse it was before the pandemic. If a third of the British public plan on eating out less but ordering in more, the govern- ment must support business owners so they can straddle that divide. “There’s no doubt that takeaways have kept the wolf from the door for many hospitality businesses over the last 12 months and this blend of service will be vital as the industry rebuilds.” 53% of Brits ordered more takeaway during the pandemic To celebrate its 50th birthday, Costa Coffee recently charged 50p for all of its hot drinks for three days. 50Oohmagazine.co.uk | @OOHmagazine 8 News The n-Oohs itsu launches Build Your Own feature itsu recently announced the launch of a new, innovative Build Your Own feature which is now available on its app. Built in response to the abundance of popular dietary trends and the growing appetite for personalised options, the service embraces the latest technol- ogy available, strengthening the brand’s digital customer experience. Asian food fans can now customise their orders, meaning those returning to offices will be able to build bespoke hot and cold itsu dishes – from rice and noodle bowls to sushi boxes. The function will also limit contact in store, making it a safer environment for both consumers and restaurant staff.